Whether you're giving a wedding toast, a TED talk, or an important address to an audience of thousands, you want your words to resonate. On the eve of the State of the Union address, here are nine keys to success from some of the best public speakers in history.

They are authentic.

Many advisors will tell you to open a speech with a joke, but that's not always good advice, especially if your persona or the subject of your speech doesn't readily lend itself to humor. It's far more important to strive for authenticity, and connection. This is why President George W. Bush's short speech in 2001 at Ground Zero resonated in a way his prepared remarks never could. Also, have you watched the beautiful speech that Malala Yousafzai gave at the United Nations last year? Pitch perfect.

Bottom line: The more open and honest you are, the more you'll likely connect.

They choose phrases carefully.

A speech is prose, but a great speech is marked by moments of poetry. Think of Martin Luther King, whose "I Have a Dream" speech includes that phrase in nine succinct paragraphs. Sir Winston Churchill didn't just ask his countrymen to battle the Germans,he exhorted them to "fight them on the beaches ... [and] fight them on the landing grounds..." Ronald Reagan was a master of this tactic too from his "Shining City on a Hill" to the Berlin Wall.

President Bill Clinton was first introduced to most of America at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, where he gave an interminable, 33-minute grind that showed none of his later rhetorical flourish. His biggest applause line? "In conclusion." He should have taken a lesson from Abraham Lincoln, whose Gettysburg Address ran only 270 words. For reference, this column is about three times as long.

Bottom line: The best speeches leave audiences thinking, "I'd like to hear more." So don't tell them you'll "be brief," just do it.

They rewrite. And they rewrite some more.

A great speech is never quite done until it's delivered. Take a look, here, at the final typed draft of President Franklin Roosevelt's speech to Congress the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Had he not reworked it just before delivery, we'd quote it now as calling December 7, "a date that will go down in world history."

Early in his political career, Churchill began speeches by saying absolutely nothing, sometimes for long, agonizing minutes. His audiences would worry he might be petrified, unable to continue, or ready to faint from stage fright. Thus when he finally spoke, the room was on Churchill's side and relieved, at least, not to watch an embarrassing meltdown.

Bottom line: A speech is about you as much as your ideas. Find a way to get the audience rooting for you, even if they don't agree with your thoughts.

They tell stories.

Great stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It has compelling characters, a challenging plot, and worthy themes. The best ones connect with some larger message. A decade ago, then-Senate candidate Barack Obama knew all of this. His first speech of national prominence, given at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, was a masterful intertwining of his personal life story with the story of America.

Bottom line: Take your audience on a narrative journey, but make sure it knows you have a roadmap.

Experts advise practicing important speeches in sections, although it's even better to practice before an audience, if you can. As a former trial and appellate attorney for the U.S. Government, I learned that smart lawyers practice arguing repeatedly in front of colleagues, before they go to court (a technique known as, mooting). Political candidates and champion debaters go through rounds of rough-and-tumble dress rehearsals in order to give their final performances a better shot at success as well.

Bottom line: Make your mistakes in private, so you'll shine in public.

They learn from the masters.

No matter how good your speech is, I can guarantee this: Someone else has done it before. And better. So, why not make it part of your preparation to read and watch five or 10 of the most remarkable speeches in history? If you need help getting started, consider the most popular TED Talks or even some of the best (and worst) Academy Award acceptance speeches.

Bottom line: Inspiration is everything. Check here, here, and here to get more.

It's a new year and I'm in a new city. Now this column needs a new name. Want to help me choose? Vote here!